April 28, 2025...Match Preview: Atletico Ottawa vs. Scrosoppi FC Canadian Championship (from canpl.ca)
MATCH PREVIEW: Atletico Ottawa vs. Scrosoppi FC -- 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship
28/04/2025
Written by:Mitchell Tierney
2025 TELUS Canadian Championship -- Preliminary Round
Atlético Ottawa vs. Scrosoppi
April 29 at 7 p.m. ET
TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer //
The 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship kicks off in the nation's capital on Tuesday, where Atlético Ottawa host League1 Ontario
champions Scrosoppi FC in preliminary round action.
Atleti are off to a flying start in the Canadian Premier League, where they are undefeated in the first four match weeks
and sit top of the table. They've scored a league-leading 12 goals, deploying an exciting and dynamic style.
This competition, however, has always been a challenge for the capital club as the furthest they have progressed is the
quarter-finals, having been eliminated by Forge and Pacific in that round of the past two years, respectively. Head coach
Diego Mejía made it clear that the club wants to get at least as far as the semi-finals this year -- breaking new ground.
Tuesday will be the first time they face a non-CPL club in the competition. Their previous seven matches in the Canadian
Championship have come against inter-league opposition.
Scrosoppi are one of two clubs making their Canadian Championship debut in 2025. The League1 Ontario club was founded
in 2020 and their name pays homage to Luigi Scrosoppi, who is the Patron Saint of Footballers. They are based out of Milton, Ont.
The club qualified for the competition by finishing top of the League1 Ontario table last year with a dominant 16-5-1 record.
Scrosoppi also finished top of the league table the year prior in 2023, but under the previous format lost in the playoff
final to Simcoe County Rovers and therefore did not qualify for last year's Canadian Championship. They have won 34
of the 44 League1 Ontario matches they've played in over that time.
Like Ottawa, Scrosoppi are off to a strong start in their league season. They are yet to concede a goal after a 2-0 victory
over Sigma FC and a 1-0 win over Simcoe County.
They boast a talented roster with plenty of names familiar to CPL fans. Former FC Edmonton goalkeeper Andreas Vaikla,
Forge FC midfielder Orlendis Benitez, York United striker Javier George -- as well as former CPL-U SPORTS draft picks
Matthew Paiva (2025, Halifax Wanderers) and Miles Green (2023, Forge FC)
The one name on Scrosoppi's roster who will be most relevant to Atlético Ottawa supporters is Keven Alemán. The 31-year-old
former Canadian international played 25 matches for the capital club during their 2022 regular season-winning season.
He also played for FC Edmonton and Valour in the CPL, and has an impressive resumé that includes stops with Costa Rican
clubs Herediano and Saprissa.
The match comes at a busy time in Atlético Ottawa's schedule, as they just travelled home from Calgary, where they
defeated defending CPL champions Cavalry FC 3-1 last Saturday. They are back in action this Saturday, where they host
Pacific. Perhaps this will mean some squad rotation, either on Tuesday or Saturday, as they manage their deep
and talented squad.
Atlético Ottawa will be without Noah Abatneh for about a week, and as a result, he will miss Tuesday's match. Mejía confirmed,
however, that Brett Levis is available for selection after being out of the club's 18 since starting the opening week
of the Canadian Premier League season against the Halifax Wanderers.
Canadian Championship History
Last meeting: N/A
Atlético Ottawa:
All-time record: 2W-1D-4L
Best finish: Quarter-finals (2023, 2024) - lost to Forge FC on penalties / lost to Pacific FC 2-1 on aggregate
Scrosoppi FC:
All-time record: N/A
Best finish: N/A
Key Quotes
“I have the [ambition] to compete in this tournament because you have the opportunity to play against MLS teams, and the
opportunity to have one ticket to qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup. So, for me, it's a good opportunity.”
– Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
“It's all about the mentality and coming into the game and just being as sharp as you can, even sharper than the league games.
Because obviously, these teams they're hungry as well, they want to show what they can do. They want to prove to themselves
that they can be at this level, the younger players from there, there's more motivation for them.” – Atlético Ottawa
defender Amer Didic
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